TERMS & CONDITIONS

general conditions | museums | events | walking tours | private drivers & excursions | accommodations | classes | weddings | train tickets

General Conditions
Cultural Italy LLC, its agents, employees and representatives are not responsible for any damages, accidents, losses, detention, annoyance, consequential damages of any kind; delays, and expenses due to the same; quarantine, strikes, force majeure; disturbances, government actions, restrictions or regulations, discontinuance or change in transit or hotel services or schedules or rate changes; and any other causes over which we have no control and which are not caused by any negligence, wrongful action or omission on the part of Cultural Italy LLC, its agents, employees and any associated companies.
Without limiting the above, you are hereby given notice, and you hereby understand and agree that all tickets issued, and all arrangements for transport or conveyance, or for hotel accommodations, and any other arrangements provided herein, are made only on the expressed condition that Cultural Italy LLC., its agents, employees and representatives shall not be liable for any injury, damage, loss, expense, accident, delay, problem or irregularity which may be occasioned either by reason of any defect in any vehicle or aircraft or other means of conveyance, or through the acts, omissions or defaults of any company or person engaged in conveying the passengers herewith, or of any hotel proprietor or servant, or any other person, firm or entity, not under the direct supervision, control or employment of Cultural Italy LLC, its agents, employees, representatives and associated companies.
Arbitration Clause
In the event a dispute shall arise between the parties it is hereby agreed that any dispute shall be referred to "a USA&M office to be designated by USA&M National Headquarters" for arbitration in accordance with the applicable United States Arbitration and Mediation Rules of Arbitration. The arbitrator's decision shall be final and legally binding and judgment may be entered thereon. Each party shall be responsible for its share of the arbitration fees in accordance with the applicable Rules of Arbitration. In the event a party fails to proceed with arbitration, unsuccessfully challenges the arbitrator's award, or fails to comply with the arbitrator's award, the other party is entitled to costs of suit, including a reasonable attorney's fee for having to compel arbitration or defend or enforce the award.
Prices
All prices are subject to change. For charges over Euro 1000 an additional 3% processing fee will be added. The exchange rate applied is the current rate on the day of the charge plus 0.04 bank exchange fees.

Museums
Cultural Italy offers a museum reservation service for selected museums in Italy. All these museums are independently owned and managed.

Conditions
• Confirmed dates, times, and instructions contained in the confirmation emails will need to be respected, otherwise museums will not be able to honor your reservation. If this happens, reservation fees and tickets will not be refunded.  If you request a change of date or time after your reservation is confirmed, there will be an additional fee of Euro 5 per ticket. If that change isn’t possible, no refund will be granted.
• If ordered reservations are not confirmed before departing from home, you have the responsability to contact Cultural Italy at least 2 days before departure to verify the status of your order. If you won't be able to speak to a person, you have the responsability of leaving a clear message and letting Cultural Italy know the name and phone number of the hotel or other accommodation where you will be staying, and/or your cellular phone number.
• Cost of entrance tickets to museums is subject to change without notice.
• If you arrive late it will be up to the museum officer to allow you in or to refuse entrance.
• Tickets are usually* paid on site. Cultural Italy charges only the reservation fee.
* Tickets will have to be paid in advance only for the Last Supper in Milan when the total amount in over Euro 20, & the Giotto's chapel (in both cases te cost of the tickets will be charged directly by the museum.) For the Uffizi and the Accademia in Florence, partial advance payment of the tickets (Euro 3 per person per museum) is mandatory for groups of 10 or more.
• If yours is a last minute order, please indicate pertinent contact information (cell phone, hotel name and phone number, name under which reservation at hotel is made if it is different than yours).  There may not be sufficient time to process your order; if this is the case, your order will be cancelled and no charge will be applied. Cultural Italy is not responsible for any inconvenience, or damage resulting from cancellation, total or partial, of any order.

Refund policy
• Refunds will be granted only in case of error in the reservation code. No refund will be possible in case of museum closing due to unexpected events (ex: strike) or sudden closing of a museum or site for any reason.

Events
Cultural Italy offers a reservation service for tickets to opera and other events in Italy. All the venues were these events take place are independently owned and managed.

Conditions
• Cultural Italy LLC does not guarantee availability of tickets.
• Calendar of events is updated regularly and to our best knowledge. Cultural Italy LLC, however, is not responsible for errors in the online calendar.
• Cultural Italy LLC will be securing the tickets on your behalf, in the selected price range. Orders will be placed by phone or online either directly with the venue where the performance is staged, or with an authorized ticket agency or broker. Acceptance of terms and conditions authorizes Cultural Italy LLC to complete the requested purchase on your behalf which will be final and non-refundable.
• In most cases, tickets will be picked up at the box office by presenting your passport and a copy of the confirmation email. Cultural Italy LLC is not responsible if instructions contained in the confirmation emails are not followed properly. Cultural Italy LLC will inform you when tickets will be mailed to your address and if there will be additional shipping charges.
• For some venues (Teatro alla Scala, Teatro la Fenice, Teatro dell'Opera, Teatro Comunale in Florence, Teatro Massimo, Teatro San Carlo, Church of San Vidal, Puccini Festival, Arena di Verona, and others), tickets will be paid in advance; for others (Scuola Grande di San Teodoro, Scuola Grande di San Basso, Scuola Grande di Sant'Evangelista, All Saints Church, San Paolo entro le Mura church and others,) Cultural Italy LLC will charge a reservation fee, and you will pay for the entrance tickets at the door. Tickets will be reserved under your name.
• If a certain event is sold out at the venue's box office, Cultural Italy LLC may be able to purchase tickets on your behalf from other sources. In this case, there will be additional charges, related to the degree of difficulty, and the cost of obtaining these tickets.
• For reduced price tickets it will be your responsibility to show proof of eligibility (students under the age of 26 will need to have valid student ID; seniors over 65 will need to have a valid ID).
• You are responsible for being at the venue at the indicated time or before the beginning of the show. Otherwise, you will be able to enter only after intermission. No refund will be possible in this case.

Refund policy
• There is no cancellation or refund for tickets to events, including operas, concerts, and special events like the Palio, the Venice Carnival, and others. Refunds will be possible in certain cases of cancellation of an event due to a labor strike or other unforeseen event or decision by the event’s organizers. Cultural Italy LLC will not be responsible for any inconvenience caused by the cancellation of an event or performance. If an event is cancelled by the organizers for any reason, it will be your responsibility to obtain a refund of the face value of the tickets directly at the box office on the day of the performance or within the period granted by the theater. Box office personnel may offer you tickets to another date. You can choose this option, or request a refund. There will be no refund on the reservations fees and any other additional fees charged by Cultural Italy LLC.


Walking tours, group and private
Cultural Italy offers private and group city tours in Italy. All walking tours are with officially authorized guides.

Conditions
• Cultural Italy LLC does not guarantee availability of tours.
• Cultural Italy LLC and any of its affiliates and hired guides will not be responsible for any injury sustained during a walking tour, nor for injury or other damage resulting from the use of a taxi during transfers from the hotel to the beginning of the tour and back, and for transfers within the tour.
• It will be your responsibility to be at the meeting point on time.
For group tours, you will most likely miss the tour if don't arrive on time. Missed tours due to late arrivals cannot be refunded.
For private tours, if you are tardy, it is your responsibility to call the number or numbers provided in the confirmation email. Delays over 30 minutes will result in a penalty fee of Euro 35 for every half hour (or portions of it) after the first 30 minutes. If the delay is over 1.5 hours from the time of the appointment, the tour will be cancelled and no refund will be granted. If other arrangements are made between you and the guide, additional charges might apply.
• In case of delay at the Vatican in the morning, the guide will be with you for the entire tour, no matter how many hours at no additional cost (after the initial delay charges for delays over 30 minutes,) but you might have to wait in line.
• Length of tours is approximate; a variation of about 20 minutes, more or less, is standard and depends on the amount of people present at the visited venue, traffic and walking speed, and other factors.
• It will be your responsibility to follow the instructions given in the confirmation, which will have name, telephone and cell phone of your guide(s) or of the guides' coordinator, who you will be able to contact the evening prior to your tour.
• You will be responsible to let the guide know of any dissatisfaction when it occurs so that prompt measures can be initiated.
• Charges for entrance tickets to museums and sites visited with a tour are subject to change without notice by any museum management. Cultural Italy LLC will do its best to keep you informed of current rates, but is not responsible for any error in terms of the cost of any ticket. It will be your responsibility to pay the amount due shown in the receipt, and displayed at the museum, or site, on the date of your visit.

Refund policy
• It will be possible to obtain a refund for cancellation of a walking tour only 20 days prior to the date of the tour. Otherwise, no refund will be possible.


Private drivers, transfers, boat excursions, balloon rides
Cultural Italy acts as an agent of selected Italian private limousine companies and boat excursionists. Italian law requires full insurance for all drivers and vehicles.

Conditions
• Cultural Italy LLC will not be responsible for any death, injury or damage resulting from any arranged transfer, driving service, boat excursion, or balloon flight.
• It will be your responsibility to be at the meeting point on time. If you are late, it is your responsibility to call the number or numbers provided in the confirmation email. Otherwise, the driver will be obliged to wait for you for one hour only.
• For transportation to and from an airport, it will be your responsibility to provide the exact flight number, departure and arrival time. In case of a delayed flight, the driver will know and will be waiting for you at no additional cost.
• It will be your responsibility to inform Cultural Italy LLC if you have more luggage than 1 suitcase and 1 carry-on.  If a larger vehicle or an extra vehicle is required for the extra luggage, you will be responsible for the price difference.

Refund policy
• It will be possible to obtain a refund for cancellation of a transfer or driving tour only 20 days prior to the scheduled date. Otherwise, no refund will be possible.
• For transfer to and from an airport, no refund will be possible if flight information provided is not correct.

Accommodations
Cultural Italy arranges accommodations in hotels, villas, farmhouse, castles, all of which are independently managed.

Conditions
• Cultural Italy LLC will not be responsible for any injury sustained during your stay in any of the properties booked, or resulting from breakdown of water, gas, electricity, phone, swimming pool filter systems, road conditions, and overall conditions of the property.
• Booking and deposit policies vary from property to property. We will inform you on the particular policies of the property you will decide to book.
• For all booking through Ville & Casali, Dolce Vita Villas, or other companies, their general conditions of lease will also apply.
• Failure to pay in accordance to the rental agreement will result in cancellation of the reserved property, and a cancellation fee of $100 will apply.
• Cultural Italy LLC will not be responsible for damage, injury or travel cancellation charges resulting from cancellation of a confirmed accommodation due to booking error of the property's management or of Cultural Italy LLC.
• It will be your responsibility to arrive at the property at the scheduled time, and to let us (or the property owner) know of any variation of your arrival time.
• For most properties you will be asked to pay for a deposit upon arrival, to cover possible property damage or loss. This deposit will be returned upon your departure and inspection of the property.
• If problems arise during your stay, you have the responsibility to contact Cultural Italy LLC or Ville & Casali immediately. If you abandon the property before contacting Cultural Italy LLC, you may lose your right to compensation.
• If gas & electricity, cleaning or other services are not included in the price, it will be your responsibility to pay for those bills before your departure.  
• It will be your responsibility to provide transfer to and from the property booked.
• It will be your responsibility to leave the property in the condition you found it. Any loss or damage will be deducted from your deposit.
• Only the agreed number of people will be able to be accommodated at the property, and you will have the responsibility to act in a respectful and civilized manner. Should the number of people exceed the number of people agreed upon, or should you behave in a manner that is not respectful and civilized, the property owner has the right to refuse entrance to the property. No camping will be allowed unless previously agreed.
• Pools are generally open from May till the end of September, depending on weather conditions.

Refund policy
• No refund will be possible on booked & paid villas, castles or farmhouses.
• Hotel cancellations will be possible up to one week prior to arrival.

Classes
Cultural Italy offers a cooking classes, wine tasting, masking classes through independently owned and managed Italian providers.

Conditions
• Cultural Italy LLC does not guarantee availability of requested classes.
• You are responsible for arriving at your appointment for the class on time and for calling the organizers in case of delay.
• You are responsible for informing us and the provider of said class(es) of any food or other allergies/intolerances which may interfere with your experience of any class.  Cultural Italy LLC is not responsible for allergic reactions to any substance, or food borne illnesses.  

Refund policy
• There is no cancellation or refund on confirmed classes.

Weddings
Cultural Italy helps you arrange your wedding in Italy.

Conditions
• It will be your responsability to check with the closest Italian consulate if you have all the right documents (copies and originals) which are necessary for the wedding.
• It is your responsability to arrive in the country early enough to complete all the necessary documents (usually getting a permit from your country's consulate and a permit from the Italian prefettura in the province town closer to where the wedding will take place.)
• Cultural Italy LLC will not be responsible for failure in the completion of thedocuments for any reason. If this happens, Cultural Italy will try to rearrange, if possible, the ceremony as a symbolic one (with no legal value.)
• It will be your responsability to make sure we have the exact number of guests, their date and time of arrival and departure.
• It will be your responsability to inform us of any food or other allergies/intolerances of anybody invited to the wedding.
• Villa rentals' terms & conditions apply when renting a property.

Refund policy
• There is no cancellation or refund on confirmed weddings.

Train tickets
Cultural Italy purchases tickets from an Italian authorized reseller.

Conditions
• Train tickets will be mailed to your address or to your hotel in Italy.
• No refund will be possible for lost tickets or missed trains.
• Tickets should be ordered at least 20 days before your departure.

Refund policy
• Train tickets orders cannot be cancelled nor refunded. Lost tickets cannot be reissued.